Before & After: One Big Change to a Dreamy New York Apartment

In another real estate market, you might take a pass on that otherwise perfect place with one or two not so great features. But not in New York. When, after almost a year of searching, Gall and Ingrid found this stunning Upper East Side apartment, they knew they were onto something good — even though the kitchen left a little bit to be desired.

Look at those bay windows! There were three in the living room, and one in each of the two bedrooms. The apartment’s generous size, and generous light, and excellent location (“right on top of the subway”) convinced Gall and Ingrid that this apartment was The One. They were prepared to do a little renovating to turn it into their perfect home.

The first order of business: the kitchen. Though very generously sized, the apartment had a fairly small kitchen, which was dark and cut off from the rest of the apartment.

The first step in creating the new kitchen was to tear down the wall between the kitchen and the rest of the apartment. This has the effect of creating a single, unified living space, but it also makes the kitchen seem much bigger and brighter. The run of cabinets on the living room side of the kitchen expands to become a breakfast bar, which provides a spot for casual eating and also a wide, uninterrupted stretch of countertop work space.

On the opposite side of the kitchen, new, custom upper cabinets run all the way to the ceiling, which helps to make up for some of the lost upper cabinets on the living room side. A pull-out pantry cabinet to the right of the refrigerator is a particularly nice touch.

A new quartz countertop gives the look of marble, without the extra maintenance. The chevron-patterned backsplash, which is composed of marble and glass tiles, reappears above the cabinets on the living room side, adding a beautiful, unique touch. The kitchen is one of Gall and Ingrid’s favorite spaces in the new apartment — and the wide countertop on the peninsula means there’s room for both of them to cook together.

Gall and Ingrid found their contractor on Sweeten, a free service matching homeowners with local general contractors. You can read more about the project, see more photos, and find sources on the Sweeten blog.